Kontext

The pig industry faces the important challenge of guaranteeing consistent quality to obtain a product with homogenous and regular characteristics throughout the year. The homogeneity of the product is often compromised by the intrinsic variability of animal farming, as well as by seasonal changes in our territory, with the hot seasons being the most critical due to the thermal stress that animals endure. This thermal stress, aside from its implications for the well-being of the animals, also triggers a reduction in yield and a less homogenous, more seasonal, and more variable production. In recent years, this problem has gained importance due to climate change, especially in vulnerable zones, such as the interior region of Catalonia, rendering it essential for the sector to take measures to mitigate its effects.
One such measure is the segmentation of production at the slaughterhouse level. The classification of the product into categories with different characteristics allows maximisation of the value of the production and guarantees consistent quality for each product segment. Currently, slaughterhouses have technologies that allow the classification of carcasses and primary cuts based on weight and total fat content. This classification is not only useful to establish the price of carcasses at the origin, but also to establish product categories targeted to specific markets. Despite this, there are no other non-destructive technologies that allow the monitoring of quality parameters online. Among these parameters, intramuscular fat content and fatty acid composition are two of the most relevant variables, since they have a direct impact on the organoleptic and nutritional properties of the product.